Could a person not be losing weight, because they are not drinking enough water?

I lost the most weight in the start of my weightloss. Mostly because it was water weight, an obviously because you just lose more at the start of your weightloss, for whatever reason.

I've been doing this since October and have lost a total of 88lb, however have not lost a pound in 2 weeks, actually gained a few ounces.

Could it be that I am not drinking enough water? Thats the only thing I can think of. It's the only thing I have changed since the start. I used to drink water constantly. About a gallon a day. I now drink a glass with breakfast and then with dinner. I drink nothing else through the day.

I don't understand the whole water thing, you think drinking lots would make you gain all that water weight. I am worried about retining and ending up gaining.

I just don't understand why I can't lose. This has never happened, not this long at least. I'm worried this could be the end.

It is possible that you are retaining water. I know I've heard some funky things about women retaining more water around their period when they are drinking less water or something like that.

I think it is more likely that maybe as your weight gets lower your weightloss has slowed with it. Maybe what you were doing at a higher weight to lose weight is not what you need to do at your current weight to lose weight.

2 weeks is not a long time at all to go without losing weight. Heck, once you start getting close to goal in a way the goal gets farther away because you will not lose weight as quickly as you did at a higher weight, if that makes sense.

One way to test your theory -- drink more water. Water makes up much of the volume of fluid in your body, and your body will release a hormone that tells the kidneys to shut off the flow, so to speak, if you're not getting enough intake of water. If you're retaining water because you're only drinking 2 glasses per day and possibly not getting enough through the food in your diet, then adding water to your diet should get things moving in the right direction again, slowly.

Another way to determine if you might be dehydrating is to examine your urine and your skin. If your urine seems concentrated (a little more yellow, or a lot more yellow, and...umm...pungent), then you need to drink more. If your skin is getting dry, and especially if you can pinch a small amount with your fingers and it doesn't snap right back into place (if it's tenting), then you're definitely not getting enough water.

If you're only drinking a couple of glasses a day, then it probably won't hurt you to add a couple more glasses throughout the day to start hydrating yourself again.

Your body must have water to stay hydrated. If you are not drinking enough water, your body will do whatever it takes to hold onto whatever water it can. If you drink enough water, your body is willing to release the water it's been storing. That's why when people first start drinking water, they run to the bathroom all the time. The body is releasing water. Eventually, after it releases all the stored water, the input and output is more balanced. Slow down drinking water and it will start hoarding it again. 2 glasses of water a day is way too little. You need at least 6-8 glasses for your body to stay hydrated. Carry a water bottle with you at all times, and you'll get used to drinking it.

There are many forms of metabolism going on in your body right now, but the one everyone is talking about it the metabolism of fat. This is actually something that the liver does when it converts stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this is one of its main jobs.

Unfortunately, another of the liver's duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can't metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you're also setting yourself up to store fat. - Maia Appleby

2 weeks really isn't all that long without a loss. Are you still tracking your calories? Are you sure you're not consuming more then you think you are? Are you exercising? Perhaps it's time to shake things up a little, but again, 2 weeks isn't all that long without a loss.

So by all means, I'd drink that water, maybe really track those calories and perhaps intensify the exercise.

You have had an incredible weight loss thus far. With a little patience and a tweak here and there, I'm sure you'll get that scale moving downward once again.

I don't think it's going to hurt to add more water in, but I don't think that's the main culprit. There are several very plausible options.

1) Simply put, weight loss isn't linear. You can do the same thing from week to week and have different results. That's just the nature of weight loss
2) You've lost a LOT of weight. It's possible that the amount of food and exercise that let you lose before just doesn't cut it now. I agree with Robin -- track what you eat and try to intensify the workouts.
3) Is it possible that in addition to drinking less you're also eating a little more or exercising less?

Patience IS a necessity in weight loss. Good luck!

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My 5 C's of healthy living: Commitment to conscious control, with the understanding that choices have consequences

I agree that it is perfectly normal to see your weight sometimes increase, especially after the initial "honeymoon" period of fast loss. Long-term weight loss is about trends over a period of months, not weeks. I often go up for a week or two (sometimes the increase is explainable, sometimes not) before the scale decides to go back down.

That said, make sure you are staying hydrated. Your urine should be straw colored, not dark yellow. Your liver does need enough water to metabolize fat properly (and you *don't* want it to be metabolizing muscle as an alternative).

Ok, don't aks me the science behind this, but I noticed on myself that when I drink the amount I am supposed to, I loose more, that' should be water weight, but my fat &#37; decreases too, however, I thinkwater helps!

Like the other ladies are saying, you need water; don't take it out whether you retain it or not.

Sounds like the infamous "plateau".
Change things up a bit, i've read/heard many people say, to change up what you're doing. With your food intake and exercise.
Say you eat 1800 calories most days; try 2100 on one day and 2017 another, keep the metabolism guessing and going. And if you do the same exercise over and over, you and your body get bored of it. Amp it up and try something new. Keep your body guessing